Lewes begins comprehensive plan rewrite process

The City of Lewes has formally begun the process to rewrite its comprehensive plan, a road map that will guide planning for the next decade.

“We are not just imagining the future; we are honoring the generations who shaped the city before us,” said Mayor Amy Marasco in a news release. “We are also ensuring that those who come after us inherit a Lewes that is vibrant, resilient and deeply connected to our history and cultural values.”

The plan considers housing, environmental resources, utilities, historic and cultural resources, annexation and other topics that will be determined by the Lewes Planning Commission, which will take the lead in drafting the plan.

The city has hired Michael Baker International Inc. as a consultant on the project. The contract is projected to cost $170,000 – $85,300 has been approved in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. The rest will be allocated in the next budget.

“The comprehensive plan is essential to ensuring that Lewes continues to grow thoughtfully while preserving the character and quality of life that define our community,” said City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe in the same news release. “We look forward to working with Michael Baker International and engaging our residents throughout this important process.”

State law mandates that municipalities update their comprehensive plans every 10 years. Lewes last updated its plan in 2015. It was adopted in 2017. A five-year update was completed in 2022. The city has until the end of October 2027 to submit the final document to the state.

LPC Chair Rich Innes said the panel’s true deadline is next July or August, so mayor and city council has time to get public input before they vote.

Innes said they plan to give regular progress updates to mayor and city council so there are no surprises at the end.

He said LPC is a few months behind schedule because the consultant contract was expected to be finalized in January.

The city has not had a planning director since Janelle Cornwell left at the end of 2025. But, Innes said, that should not hamper the process.

“It would be better off if the city had a planner, but we can start engaging the state and county early on, get other city commissions, like the historic preservation architectural review commission, involved and stakeholders like the Board of Public Works, Beebe [Healthcare] and the school district, without a planner, then plug them in when we get one,” Innes said.

LPC discussed its role in the comprehensive plan at its March 18 regular meeting. Innes was not in attendance, but he said the first job is to get people involved, including the forming of a citizens’ advisory committee.

“We need enthusiasm and engagement for an exercise that will have very real consequences for our community. We’ll hold workshops, engage on social media and at the farmers market, so people can register their views. We have to be innovative,” Innes said.

At the meeting, some commissioners said getting people to serve might be a tough sell.

“I have had trouble finding people to say yes to being on an advisory committee, and it’s basically because the image of the LPC is damaged,” Commissioner Marylinda Maddi said. “They keep coming back to two of our ordinances [home-based business and accessory dwelling units] that have been reexamined and reviewed, and they say why would I want to be on a committee where everything is second-guessed?” 

Commissioner Debra Evalds said she even considered resigning over the issue. 

Innes said he disagrees with the characterization of LPC, saying he knows several people who want to serve on an advisory committee.

The city will hold a public kickoff meeting from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, April 7, in the Bonnie Osler Meeting Room at the Rollins Center to introduce the consultants and begin getting people engaged in the comprehensive plan process.